422 flashing lights after shutdown

[FordMan59]

Do you think the problem could be traces of water in the fuel getting an incomplete or poor burn causing the yellow flame? I too use a diesel fuel treatment in my Monitor. I run on capsule tanks so I buy my fuel in 5 gallon cans. I always add about 2 oz. of diesel treatment to the can prior to filling it since a 1/2 gallon is supposed to treat 200 gallons. I figured this would help prevent moisture from forming since the fuel is stored outside and maybe help keep the carburetor/fuel lines cleaner. A couple years ago Mighty Dollar had diesel treatment in 1/2 gallon containers for $1. each, so, while I could get it at such a great price I bought 10 of them. I only use about 125-150 gallons per heating season so it will probably last the rest of my life. I think I just started on my 2nd half gallon at the end of last heating season and it's still well over half full.

[wjcroft]

FordMan, hey thanks for that mention that you also use a water dispersion additive. That's reassuring that others are doing this. I only use the minimal amount recommended. I assume you viewed my Youtube video, showing the localized yellow,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujxJWYVU2wM

Which only shows the yellow localized in a small area near the sensor rod or fuel inlet, no soot. The yellow disappears when the Burner Status indicator is on low. The video I think was recorded when burner status was on 3/4. But even on low burner, close inspection through the window appears to show a very slight distortion (bump) in the ring in that same area, though no yellow. Possibly the yellow causes this, or vice versa. Maybe I should upload a video of the ring on low burner status.

That's an interesting conjecture, that if the additive had 'grabbed' some of the water, that the flame quality would be changed when that contaminant was consumed. Makes sense. At the same time, the K-100 site and videos, seem to imply that the additive causes a complete mixing of the small amount of water with the fuel. So the result should just be mostly fuel plus a bit of additive and tiny amount of water. So fuel combustion should be mostly normal. Guess it depends on how bad the condensation situation is in the tank.

Would still be interested if Tom hawkins111 has any opinions about additives or the video. It does seem odd that if the water+additive was the cause of the localized yellow, that the effect would not be localized at all, but instead visible in all areas around the circumference of the ring. Puzzling.

Regards, William Croft, Mount Shasta, CA

[FordMan59]

I'll have to watch my heater sometime when it's running on something besides low but, if I recall correctly that's the general area where I see yellow flame in mine. That's also right around the fuel inlet area so maybe the fuel is pooling slightly in that area? It seems to be very similar to what mine does and has been doing at least for a couple years, probably longer and I just hadn't noticed it. No more than you'd have to use your heater I wouldn't think that you'd be needing a burn chamber overhaul if you just did one in 2017. My heater was 16 years old when it got it's first rebuild in 2012. I used a different burn mat material that I'd got from Mc Master-Carrr when I rebuilt mine and replaced the mat again about 6 years later when I removed the burn chamber trying to figure out the reason for another problem I was having. I don't think the mat would have had to be replaced at that time but since I had the chamber out I figured I might as well clean the pot and put in a new mat.

[hawkins111]

I don't see much of a problem with your flame. I do see a screw missing from the igniter cover. That will allow too much air, which can cause a high flame. You need to be sure the proper Air Dampers are installed. If they are not correct you can get a high flame.

If the stove gives you a problem you will have to remove the whole burner pot to investigate the problem. That will mean you will need a number of gaskets, a burner mat, maybe a ring and some glue to go back together. It's not a tough job to complete, however you will need gaskets or the material to make them and a mat and glue. If you need a burner ring you can get them at several places.

I keep a complete combustion chamber ready to go in case of a problem. It takes about 20 minutes to r/r the chamber. You can get parts from EBAY or Hickory Home and Gardens. There used to be a Monitor dealer in Shasta that had lots of stuff. They my be gone now.

[wjcroft]

Tom, thanks.

re: missing screw on igniter cover. Actually, no, that's just an odd black dot on the cover. All the screws are present. Appreciate your assessment of the localized yellow. Also FordMan agrees I can just ignore this for the moment.

My hunch is that this localized yellow may be a side effect of the K-100 additive binding to the small amount of condensation water in the outside tank, and resulting in a flame anomaly near the fuel inlet.

Regards, William

[FordMan59]

Tom, thanks.

re: missing screw on igniter cover. Actually, no, that's just an odd black dot on the cover. All the screws are present. Appreciate your assessment of the localized yellow. Also FordMan agrees I can just ignore this for the moment.

My hunch is that this localized yellow may be a side effect of the K-100 additive binding to the small amount of condensation water in the outside tank, and resulting in a flame anomaly near the fuel inlet.

Regards, William

I think you have the right plan. Just keep an eye on it. If the yellow worsens or you start having problems with soot then investigate it and try to find and fix the problem. Some of my threads have McMaster-Carr part numbers that I've used for burn mats and gasket material at a fraction of the cost of Monitor service parts if you need anything. In 2012 I bought a roll of gasket material 1/8" X 16" X 10' for around $40. I've used on it to replace gaskets and sold pieces off my roll to others and still have about 6-7' on the roll that will undoubtedly last me the rest of my life. The material I bought for making burn mats at the time was about $10 for a piece 12" X 40" if I recall the size correctly. Prices have probably increased some over the past 8 years but, I'm sure it's still a significant savings. I too have an extra burn chamber built with everything in it ready to go in at a moments notice. Over the past several years I've bought lots of used parts at cheap prices and put them up in case something goes wrong with mine I can repair it and not have to wait on parts to come from out of state. I've bought everything from a fuel line, combustion fan/housing, circulation fan, fuel pump, heat chamber, burn pot, igniter, flame rod, time/temperature controller, motherboard, etc. and don't think I have more than about $200 in all of it. I thought this was pretty cheap insurance and if I never need them I'm sure the prices will just go up. I bought my heater when I lived in NC and brought to our new home in KY when we moved in 2010. There are no Monitor dealers in the state so if I need something I don't have I'll have to order it out of NC. Hickory Home and Garden in Hickory, NC has the best prices of anywhere I've been able to find for original Monitor brand service parts.

[dantm]

msearcher and others...

I seem to have the same problem with a M22 unit, it gets to the set temperature and then shuts down with flashing burner lights. From my understanding the flashing lights could be out of fuel or thermal shutdown, but neither of them seem reasonable?

For one the unit can go for either 2-3 hrs to heat up the room from 40 to 70 deg and then shuts down; during this time the pump and fuel system is operating normally. When it reaches temp it shuts down as mentioned. Or if the room is at 68 deg it will take another 10 mins to get it to 70 deg and it will shut down the same, so I can't see how the pump would be starved of fuel?

What puzzles me is how the carburetor could cause this problem (@msearcher you had mentioned this fixed it for you).

Thank you all!